Doping In Athletics

[yaco]

Happiest people on the planet are Nike - Their athletes continually win the big prizes.

 

[hrotha]

It's absurd to boo Gatlin and no one else, but for most people that's down to ignorance, not hypocrisy per se.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Incredible disrespect for the sport of Athletics for the BBC and media in general to present it, not as the major competitive event of the year for the sport, but as some sort of celebrity parade. Let's hope that the ridiculous arrogant posturing of lightning points and Ms on heads are finally finished with, and that there can be some respect for competition in coverage for a while.

 

[Nomad]

Ouch!...Bolt gets a little testy with a hard question from a journalist at the post-race press conference. I thought it was a rhetorical question and he goes "Lance Armstrong" on the journalist. And Gatlin should just keep his mouth shut...he's lucky to be there. His 2nd positive went from a lifetime to 8 yr to 4 yr. Starts @ 6:30 in:

https://youtu.be/BlQkSyKv9BI

 

[Saint Unix]

I understand Bolt, as the winner of those fast races that the reporter is referring to. She used a lot of words, but her question was basically "Were you faster before because you doped?"

That's probably the dumbest question I've heard from a reporter in sports this year. What did she expect them to answer?

 

[Nomad]

I agree...it was a rhetorical question by her, but does Bolt have to be such an a%$hole about it? Why doesn't he acknowledge there's a strong history of doping in sprinting (who could have imagined, Lol) and at least answer it more professionally. He's pulling the Mo Farah BS; how dare does anyone "question my performances." Lol.

 

[yaco]

I agree...it was a rhetorical question by her, but does Bolt have to be such an a%$hole about it? Why doesn't he acknowledge there's a strong history of doping in sprinting (who could have imagined, Lol) and at least answer it more professionally. He's pulling the Mo Farah BS; how dare does anyone "question my performances." Lol.

You find at these large sports events some of the media pack don't follow the sport - Or aren't on the regular media circuit following events - So in other words they are non-sporting media who have little knowledge about the sport - I would also give them short shrift.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

But honestly isn't this terrible advertising for athletics? If they had life bans Gatlin wouldn't be there and there would be less doping too.

Of course, but that's part of the reason that there's a bit of Schadenfreude on here about Gatlin winning. For the same reason as Vino winning at the London Olympic RR in front of Pat McQuaid was a glorious moment; the whole shebang was set out as a vindication of the great success of clean cycling, and would be a coronation for the new clean generation now that the dastardly doping era was behind us... only for the UCI's president, who'd been in on the whole preceding saga, to see it blow up in his face and have to hand the medal over to an unrepentant doper.

Similarly, here, the whole storyline of the veneration of the superstar who saves his sport (using the hyperbole that has been repeated ad nauseaum) against the dastardly spectre of doping has been clung to as a way of shielding a sport which is absolutely full of doping from the negative publicity, save for a few easy victims like the Russians. Many of the other dopers have not been vilified like Gatlin, and that's for a multitude of reasons, ranging from the charisma and global popularity of Bolt to the fact that the 100m is arguably the dirtiest of all track and field disciplines and also the most high profile. Gatlin's return to form left the media drawing an overly simplistic, child-like "good vs. evil" storyline that portrayed Bolt as the conquering clean hero saving the sport from the villainous cheat Gatlin. And as long as good triumphs in the end, they can sweep doping under the rug and say everything is fine. Not all dopers are characterized thus, but it's also this that makes Gatlin's victory so difficult for them to take. Because they've made him out to be a one-dimensional villain, and now he's won; he's been portrayed as a villain so much that they can't sell it as a redemption story (even Vino had the comeback from what had been thought to be a career-ending injury) and because they made so much of a big deal out of his previous bans, they can't gloss over them. Gatlin winning means they have to confront head-on the simple fact that drugs are still a major part of athletics. Because a Gatlin win cannot be claimed a win for clean competition; fans will never buy that. So questions will then follow about how it can have come to pass that Gatlin won. And those questions being asked are much more likely to help actually clean up the sport (although it would have to get much, much worse before it could get better) than Bolt vanquishing the evil doper and sending people home happily believing in fairytales.

Of course, it also will make a lot of the media who cheerlead athletes with suspect histories squirm, because they can't pretend all the dopers are being caught, and it will make a lot of the administrators and bigwigs squirm because if those questions are asked they may get dragged into it (see the infamous Sebastian Coe "were you corrupt or just incompetent?" question, which may be due a dust-off). But by singling Gatlin out as an anointed super-villain, they've made their bed and now they have to lie in it.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

Last k in 2:39 and Cram mentioned in one of his last training sessions he ran a 50sec 400 which is mental. The Ethiopian, Kenyans & Ugandans chucked in 62, 61, 63's for the entire race pretty much. Think the slowest lap was a 66. Then on a parade lap with the family, a cute PR move. Hopefully the FBI & USADA aren't too touched by it.

And guess whose presenting the gold medal to Farah!?! PRESIDENT LORD SEB COE! *pssst, we've got yer back Mo...* Oh my gawd...

Don't expect high morals from Lord Coe. He is after all a descendant from slave owners in the Caribbean Islands.

Hang everyone who is descended from someone who ever did anything questionable. It's only logical.

did anything questionable? Nice way of describing slavery.

We are all products of our breeding.

Most of the rich in the UK at one point had slaves, or at least those rich by family. Benedict Cumberbatch, David Cameron etc. I don't know if high morality is something inherited firstly, and secondly there were very few people who opposed slavery at the time of them owning slaves. Therefore it isn't a great reason at all for Coe being a ***.

Shouldn't a president remain fairly neutral, and not openly say he wanted Bolt to win? Doesn't that support imply (confirm) that he'd be willing to let Usain off the hook for a doping test? And why is Coe, someone who was in the thick of the past administration, now claiming that he is a god of clean sport and has always supported life bans?

 

[thehog]

This is not a IAAF problem. It's a USADA problem whereby Tygart provides leniency for athletes who have a vocal support of he Christian faith.

Gatlin is not only still competing but managed to have both positives reduced to 2 years. That's astounding.

 

[arvc40]

This Gatlin/Bolt saga is my absolute sporting highlight of the year. Absolute disgrace to see all the thick idiots booing Gatlin during the 100m. For the last few years the UK media has perpetuated this bollox about good v evil and last night it came back and bit them on the arse. What a tosser Lord Coe is.

These idiots booing need to educate themselves. Anybody who believes in Bolt is living on cloud Cuckoo land !. *** me Bolt was congratulating Gatlin and whispering in his ear that he deserved the win and the crowd should not be booing. Thick as thieves !.

Sporting moment of 2017 IMO.

 

[arvc40]

Saw a comment from somebody yesterday, they said they didn't know how to explain it to there children. *** morons, why not educate themselves and there Children on the facts !. They spend 10 seconds once a year on a subject and blurt a load of absurd naive ***.

 

[Saint Unix]

Best lesson those kids will ever learn. If you want to get to the very top of any field, not just in sport, but any walk of life, it helps being a massive lying, morally and ethically vacant D-bag.

 

[arvc40]

Ouch!...Bolt gets a little testy with a hard question from a journalist at the post-race press conference. I thought it was a rhetorical question and he goes "Lance Armstrong" on the journalist. And Gatlin should just keep his mouth shut...he's lucky to be there. His 2nd positive went from a lifetime to 8 yr to 4 yr. Starts @ 6:30 in:

https://youtu.be/BlQkSyKv9BI

He did an average job at answering a pertinent question. If there was a bright person asking the questions he would be ripped to pieces.

 

[luckyboy]

Don't know why I'm surprised but the journalists talking on the BBC about Gatlin/booing tonight..

Jamaican guy talking about comeback/getting another chance - "Gatlin's story is a good story"
American guy - "They're excessively tested and it's on a level playing field now"
Michael Johnson comparing the booing to Trump's populism and saying people may come to regret it. What
Ato Boldon - "I have a lot of respect for what Gatlin has done [then lists a bunch of results since 2012]"

Steve Cram pretty reasonable about everything going against Johnson moaning about how people focus on Gatlin

 

[Bwlch y Groes]

I know we shouldn't probably lean on Lance comparisons too much, but Bolt defending Gatlin reminds me of him defending known dopers when he was winning. There's something deeply cynical about it - it says a lot more about Bolt than it does Gatlin

MJ taking Cram apart live on air here is genuinely hilarious: https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/894259043191054336 - reminder that Cram was vocally airing suspicions about Makhloufi when he won the gold from nowhere in 2012 but has never done the same with any British athlete including those who have actually been banned for doping violations *cough* Ohuruogu *cough*

Incidentally, with regard to bans, I'm fully onboard with the idea that life bans are a terrible idea - given what we know about how corrupt sports governing bodies are, if you brought in life bans for doping the bans would quickly disappear, save one or two easy scapegoats. No way would they be brave enough to give a life ban to a top sportsperson who tested positive

 

[hondated]

Just watching Icarus and its compulsive viewing but frustrating that so many of todays athletes and other generations have either got away with cheating or are currently cheating.
So many have not only got away with it but are now held in high esteem by so many and our stupid honours system has compounded that by giving some the highest awards.
And they want us to believe its only the Russians who are cheating ! unbelievable.

 

[Bwlch y Groes]

Bizarre women's 100m final performance by Elaine Thompson. She seemed to just...not accelerate. As if she wasn't trying?

Last night boos, tonight Booooowie

 

[Nomad]

I believe Thompson was coming off an Achilles injury. Bolton was talking about how it could affect her start and the first 20 meters.

 

[The Hitch]

Steve Cram pretty reasonable

I struggle to believe that.

 

[Singer01]

I believe Thompson was coming off an Achilles injury. Bolton was talking about how it could affect her start and the first 20 meters.

She also seemed to stumble about 60m which is weird once she was in her running.

 

[LuxCZ]

Michael Johnson comparing the booing to Trump's populism and saying people may come to regret it. What

Not sure about the context here, but I agree with the statement that the booing can compared to populism here. In the end the people go along with a popular and simple choice instead of seeing the more complex reality, which basically is that despite being caught more often than his opponents, Gatlin isn't dirtier than the rest.

 

[Singer01]

Michael Johnson comparing the booing to Trump's populism and saying people may come to regret it. What

Not sure about the context here, but I agree with the statement that the booing can compared to populism here. In the end the people go along with a popular and simple choice instead of seeing the more complex reality, which basically is that despite being caught more often than his opponents, Gatlin isn't cleaner than the rest.

You mean dirtier? He is however worth booing just because he is a scumbag, regardless of his history.

 

[LuxCZ]

Michael Johnson comparing the booing to Trump's populism and saying people may come to regret it. What

Not sure about the context here, but I agree with the statement that the booing can compared to populism here. In the end the people go along with a popular and simple choice instead of seeing the more complex reality, which basically is that despite being caught more often than his opponents, Gatlin isn't cleaner than the rest.

You mean dirtier? He is however worth booing just because he is a scumbag, regardless of his history.

Yes, that was quite a mistake :redface:

 

[The Hitch]

Michael Johnson comparing the booing to Trump's populism and saying people may come to regret it. What

Not sure about the context here, but I agree with the statement that the booing can compared to populism here. In the end the people go along with a popular and simple choice instead of seeing the more complex reality, which basically is that despite being caught more often than his opponents, Gatlin isn't dirtier than the rest.

Its more that the British media have painted a good vs bad narrative of the situation. Bolt is the good guy. In fact he is the great guy. Nothing he can do is wrong.He's the best, he works the hardest, he's the nicest, he's the funniest.

Given the same sort of adulation that a mother gives her children .

By the same token, anyone who poses danger to the hero Bolt, must be EVIL.

Gatlin is EVIL. He competes against Bolt, the great hero, therefore he must be demonised in the same way that in the bible the snake is portrayed as evil because snakes historically posed danger to children.

The unfortunate thing people getting caught doping has done is that it gives fanboys the feeling that they have legitimate reasons for blindly supporting their favourite athlete and painting their rivals as evil.